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Participatory democracy |
The way that present institutions function presents a clear democratic deficit, given that the citizens’ political participation is limited to electoral consultations and the making of decisions is reduced to the weight of the majority. Democracy should be an inclusive system which involves the participation of the citizenry and includes the interests and needs of all those who live in the society.
In order to facilitate the participation of the entire citizenry we propose to encourage and develop Citizen Councils in all the areas in which City Halls and Provincial Governments are active. The Citizen Councils are organisms composed of representatives of associations and citizen groups interested in various subjects. In these councils political representatives and specialists from public bodies will also be present. In this way municipal life will be activated and democratized in two ways: on the one hand the opinions and interests of the various sectors of the citizenry will reach the public bodies, and on the other hand their participation will bring ideas and solutions to the issues which affect them. Likewise, Plazandreok will promote those activities necessary to ensure that the citizens’ initiatives have the same opportunities as the political parties to access all sources of power. The activation of citizen participation will also be made easier by the use of referendums and direct popular consultation.
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Equal opportunities |
Equal rights has not led to equal opportunities. There are still many examples of inequality: women’s unemployment, the absence of equal distribution of house work, the feminization of poverty and old age, etc. Legal changes have not materialized in the form of concrete policies which would mean real modification in all areas of women’s lives. For this reason we propose the formation of Commissions and Departments of Equal Opportunity for Women in the City Halls and Provincial Governments, whose objective will be to eliminate the discrimination to which we women are subjected. These organisms should not be connected to any specific area in order that they might intervene in all areas transversely, expressing women’s points of view in all local areas.
The elimination of inequality and discrimination in all areas of our society calls for consensual work, which in the case of local institutions should be proposed in all areas of activity. The creation of Commissions and Departments of Equal Opportunity will make it possible to guarantee the responsibility and participation of both men and women politicians and specialists in each area, as long as there exist the necessary budgetary commitments.
The Departments and Commissions of Equal Opportunity will ensure the development of Plans for Positive Action and also ensure that their measures are effectively carried out in cases where these plans already exist. This will call for the creation of or participation in commissions which include different municipal areas, as well as the activation of the Women’s Commissions which will function as organs of citizen participation on all institutional levels.
A Plan of Positive Action is a group of concrete, timely actions, coordinated among themselves, which have been put forward from different municipal areas. The plan is established in order to identify and eliminate any type of discrimination and to favor equality. It is directed towards all persons, women and men, and benefits all of society. Such plans, created for the medium term, should be renovated according to the needs of their setting, and should favor the development of an awareness of support for equal opportunities. This awareness should become part of local politics as well as public and private social organizations such as businesses, political parties, unions, educational centers, associations, etc.
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Management Principles |
Local economic resources should be managed with rational, responsible, criteria. The priority management principle should be to cover the basic necessities of the population, giving them precedence over grand, large scale projects. Basic necessities are work, housing, education, health…In this way City Halls and Provincial Governments should redistribute their resources so as to alleviate the economic, social and cultural inequalities which exist in society, not only in their immediate area but in the whole of society as well. We propose that 1% of the budgets be dedicated to cooperation with developing countries.
Cities and villages are the places where many and varied people live, work and enjoy ourselves. We believe that diversity is wealth, and we want cities and villages which are habitable for all those who live in them. We will work towards making all of our spaces safe, comfortable and manageable.
Culture is an essential part of the wealth of a society. We feel that institutions should guarantee respect for the cultural and linguistic diversity of Euskadi by promoting activities which aim at enriching that diversity. Plazandreok will promote the study and use of the Basque language in both official and social life, to guarantee the right of all people to carry out their lives in the Basque language.
We are at present living a historical moment in which the possibility exists to resolve the political conflict which our country has lived during the last several decades. In this place and time Plazandreok supports and encourages all pacification initiatives which are based on the search for a consensus through dialogue, without any exclusions, where all social agents are represented – including women. We have much to say in the construction of peace, given that we can’t speak of political violence and forget the violence which many women suffer in their homes, on their jobs and in the streets. We have to speak of peace in the private as well as public sphere.
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